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Lesson 2

The document discusses when to use the passive voice in business writing, providing that it should be used to focus on the action or result and when the agent is unimportant. It then provides a scenario about a technology company working on a confidential project where progress updates are shared using the passive voice to avoid disclosing details about those involved.

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52 views

Lesson 2

The document discusses when to use the passive voice in business writing, providing that it should be used to focus on the action or result and when the agent is unimportant. It then provides a scenario about a technology company working on a confidential project where progress updates are shared using the passive voice to avoid disclosing details about those involved.

Uploaded by

coucouc38
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lesson 2: Passives

“when should the passive voice be used in business writing?” can


be boiled down to the following: Use passive voice as the preferable
choice when it makes sense to focus on the action or result of an
action and when the agent of the action is unimportant or
unnecessary to mention.

Read the following scenario

XYZ Enterprises is a global technology company known for its cutting-edge


innovations. The company is currently working on a highly confidential project to
develop a revolutionary device that will redefine the industry. The details of this
project are closely guarded due to its strategic importance. In a recent meeting, the
project manager presented the latest updates on the development. The team has made
significant progress, and several breakthroughs have been achieved.

In this scenario, the use of the passive voice allows the team to share updates on the
project's progress without disclosing specific details about the agents involved. This
approach is common in situations where the information is sensitive, confidential, or
where revealing the agents might compromise the project's security or competitive
advantage.

Does the team share updates on the project's progress without disclosing specific details about
the agents involved?

Find sentences in the scenario referring to the agent.

……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………..
Example sentences using the passive voice:

1. Several key components have been successfully integrated, ensuring enhanced


performance.
o Here, the active voice might reveal too much about who is working on the
integration, so the passive voice is employed to keep the information
confidential.
2. Important decisions have been made to streamline the production process.
o The agent behind the decisions is not mentioned because the details are
confidential and could impact the competitive landscape.
3. A new feature has been developed, providing the device with a unique capability.
o By using the passive voice, the focus is on the achievement itself rather than
revealing which team or individual is responsible for the development.

Grammar explanation

We can use the passive voice to change the focus of the sentence.

Aliya Monier directed the film.


(focus on Aliya Monier)

The film was directed by Aliya Monier.


(focus on The film)

We often use the passive:

• so that we can start a sentence with the most important or most logical information
• when we prefer not to mention who or what does the action (for example, it's not
known, it's obvious or we don't want to say)
• in more formal or scientific writing.

Be + past participle

The most common way to form the passive is subject + be + past participle.

The new smoke alarm was installed yesterday.

The 'doer' of the action is called the agent. Most of the time, the agent is not mentioned, but if
important, the agent can be mentioned using the preposition by.

The new smoke alarm was installed yesterday by the company director herself.

We can also use the passive voice with modal verbs such as can, must and should, by using
modal + be + past participle.
A podcast can be made with minimal resources.
The accident must be reported to the police.
New laws should be created to regulate electric scooters.

The passive with get

In informal English, get is sometimes used instead of be to form the passive.

My bicycle got stolen last night.


(= My bicycle was stolen last night.)

The impersonal passive

The impersonal passive is used with reporting verbs such as allege, believe, claim, consider,
estimate, expect, know, report, say, think, understand, etc. It reports what an unspecified
group of people say or believe.

The impersonal passive has two forms:

it + be + past participle + (that) + subject + verb:

It is estimated that millions of people visit the site every year.


It is believed that the walls date from the third century BCE.
It is reported that mosquitoes transmit the disease.

someone/something + be + past participle + infinitive:

Millions of people are estimated to visit the site every year.


The walls are believed to date from the third century BCE.
Mosquitoes are reported to transmit the disease.

Note that the infinitive can be simple (as above), perfect (for a past action) or continuous (for
an action in progress).

Millions are estimated to visit the site this year. (simple infinitive)
The walls are believed to have been built in the third century BCE. (perfect infinitive)
Mosquitoes are reported to be transmitting the disease. (continuous infinitive)

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